The present technology relates to a zoom lens, and specifically, relates to a zoom lens which has high optical performance over the whole zoom range even in image capturing of the subject at a short distance and is suitable for a digital still camera, a video camera, a monitoring camera and the like and an image capturing apparatus using the zoom lens.
The market of digital still cameras is growing exceedingly in recent years and users' requests for the digital still cameras are being diversified. The requests are exceedingly spreading for higher magnifications of camera lenses, F values for brighter lenses, compatibility with macro functions that enable image capturing of closer-distance subjects, in recent years, and needless to say, being high in image quality and small in dimensions. Generally, many zoom lenses targeting to be small in dimensions and high in magnification employ a system in which only one lens group moves for focusing and the focusing is performed by moving that focus lens group in the optical axis. In particular, a zoom lens for quick focusing, reduced load on actuators, and further, a small focus unit expects lens groups light in weight which are driven. Therefore, optical systems such as so-called inner focusing one and rear focusing one are well known which facilitate focus lenses to be small in dimensions and light in weight relatively readily (for example, see: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-301474).